Cannabis News
Congresswoman Pushes Trump’s New Drug Czar To Back Full Marijuana Legalization And Follow ‘Science, Not Stigma’
A Democratic congressman is pleading President Donald Trump has just been confirmed in the Senate as the White House drug czar following the science and proactively advocating for the full legalization of marijuana, beyond the additional cannabis rescheduling the president recently signed.
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, shared a link to a Marihuana Moment article on Tuesday about Sara Carter Bailey’s Senate confirmation vote as director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
Titus said Carter “must commit to common sense and evidence-based cannabis policy.”
“This includes descheduling marijuana and fully implementing my Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act so that federal decisions are guided by science, not stigma,” he said.
Titus and Cannabis Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) announced in April that they had introduced the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act, aiming to remove the legal restriction that prevents the drug czar from supporting the legalization of marijuana or other Schedule I drugs. The legislation has yet to advance in the GOP-controlled Congress, however.
Here is the text of the current law that would be repealed under the proposal:
“The Director . . . shall ensure that federal funds appropriated to the Office of National Drug Control Policy shall not be expended for any study or contract related to the legalization (for medical use or any other use) of a substance listed in section I of section 812 of this title and shall take such measures as may be necessary to oppose any attempt to legalize the use (in any form) of a substance not listed in subparagraph (I)(B) of section 8 of section (I). The purpose of the Food and Drug Administration approved for medical use.
Carter, for his part, has previously spoken out in favor of access to medical marijuana, saying he has “no problem” with legalization, even though he may not personally agree with the policy.
A former journalist known for his coverage of drug cartels, the ONDCP director had previously informed senators that the administration. keeping “all options” on the table as he considered a proposal to reorganize marijuanawhile describing cannabis reform as a “bipartisan issue.”
Despite his personal ambivalence about the redistricting issue, Trump last month signed an executive order directing the attorney general to quickly complete the process of moving cannabis from Schedule I to III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Given the ONDCP director’s role in setting and carrying out the administration’s agenda on drug policy issues, Carter’s enthusiastic endorsement of medical cannabis in the past is welcome to advocates.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) raised the issue of cannabis reform with the then-candidate in September, saying the additional reform would be a “step in the right direction.”
“It would open the door to more scientific research, so if you were to be confirmed, how would you advise the American president on the reprogramming process going on?” he asked.
Carter said he shares Booker’s passion for the issue, which he described as “bipartisan.”
“If confirmed as director, I will comply with all federal laws and meet all legal responsibilities of ONDCP,” he said. “However, we will continue to work in depth with research and data. We will continue to do so and explore all options.”
Tuesday’s vote on confirmation was largely along party lines, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) joining all Democrats in opposition, and all other Republicans in support.
While Carter has spoken often on a variety of marijuana policy issues (focusing on illegal trafficking and illegal growing operations on US soil, for example), his public comments have been limited about how he personally feels about the issue. In a 2024 episode of her podcast The Sara Carter Show, she noted that she makes a distinction between legally regulated and illegally supplied marijuana.
“I don’t have a problem if it’s legalized and controlled,” he said. “I mean, maybe I have my own issues with how I feel about it, but I think it’s a wonderful way to handle cannabis for medicine and medical reasons — especially for people with cancer and other diseases, you know — to manage the disease and the side effects of those drugs and diseases. So I’m not saying we should make it illegal.”
Last month, a Democratic senator temporarily he resisted the Republican majority’s attempt to advance Carter’s confirmationsaying he is among many “unqualified” candidates who threaten to “undermine the rule of law and our national security.”
Carter will be the second White House drug czar in a row to voice his support for medical marijuana Former President Joe Biden’s ONDCP Director Rahul Guptaworked as a consultant to cannabis businesses and oversaw the implementation of West Virginia’s medical marijuana program.
On his social media, Carter has previously shared links (without comment) to news on various marijuana-related topics. In addition to his increased focus on illegal billboards, he has also published on congressional and state legalization votes, Biden administration staffers fired for cannabis use, Democratic presidential candidates’ support for legalization, progress on cannabis banking legislation in Congress, and state policy developments such as the legalization of cannabis cafes in Alaska.
Carter has separately sounded the alarm about the dangers of pesticides and other contaminants in the marijuana grown and sold by Chinese cartels…last year a House committee took up the matter.
Also last year, the ONDCP director discussed the issue with Derek Maltz, a then-retired Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official who served as the agency’s interim administrator before being confirmed. Trump’s perennial pick, Terrance Cole.
In an X post about his interview with Maltz, Carter said how “Chinese marijuana growing operations are using dangerous chemicals as pesticides.”
—
It’s Marijuana Moment tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracking and become a Patreon supporter to gain access
—
In 2022, U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) praised Carter, who worked with his office to draw attention to illegal grow operations in his district, leading to an investigation by local law enforcement.
Carter credited Congress, saying, “Your work to take down illegal marijuana seeds has prevented the cartels from exploiting your community, the people forced to work in it, and the (money).
In a 2021 interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, he also talked about his work with Garcia, including accompanying him on a helicopter, “a lot of sophisticated illegal farms worth billions of dollars.”
The posters “have become much bolder. They are not afraid to hide,” he said. “They don’t hide it because they don’t feel like they’ll ever be held accountable for it.”
In a sense, Carter seems to be implicitly suggesting that he supports regulated access to cannabis as a means to promote public safety and health. Whether and how this implied position will affect federal policy, now that it has been confirmed, remains to be seen.
On his social media, he has previously shared links (without comment) to news on various marijuana-related topics. In addition to his increased focus on illegal billboards, he has also published on congressional and state legalization votes, Biden administration staffers fired for cannabis use, Democratic presidential candidates’ support for legalization, progress on cannabis banking legislation in Congress, and state policy developments such as the legalization of cannabis cafes in Alaska.
Marijuana Moment is made possible with the help of readers. If you rely on our pro-cannabis journalism to stay informed, consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
Curing is one of those phases of cannabis production that almost everyone agrees is important, but that importance hardly translates into cannabis facilities. It’s understandable that growers want to maximize their canopy space first and foremost. After all, more flowers, more income. However, the irony is that by the time a plant reaches the curing room, most of the money has already been spent. The genetics are locked in, the lights have done their job, the rooms have been marked, the harvest has been carefully handled. And yet, quality is often validated or left behind.
Simon Knobel of Calyx Containers has spent an amazing amount of time thinking about this disintegration. The company started about 9 years ago, when Simon and his co-founder Alex were still in school and adult cannabis was becoming legal in Massachusetts. “Back then, cannabis packaging meant pill bottles, borrowed wholesale from the pharmaceutical world and reused without much thought,” explains Simon. “Our initial instinct wasn’t to do something revolutionary. It was just to build something that made sense for cannabis.”
As the company developed a range of packaging formats, the focus was on quality at the point of sale. “Scent retention, ease of use, shelf life, that was the pace of our design process. What took longer to fully register was that the degradation didn’t just happen after packaging. In many cases, it was already baked in during curing.”
Simon and Calyx did extensive market research to understand what was happening with quality degradation. “It’s good to talk not only with operators, but with consumers.” A story stuck. Simon recalls interviewing a client who was on a ski trip with his family and trying to hide the fact that he had cannabis with him. This awkwardness of smell, discretion and manipulation became a design problem. The sliding cover, integrated gasket, meant the elimination of the twisting motion that gave some users a literal pain in the wrist. But it also opened up a deeper line of research.
As Calyx began to talk more seriously with growers, a recurring question came up. Where exactly does quality start to slip? To answer this, the company partnered with the Cannabis Research Coalition and worked with Dr. Allison Justice on research based on the cure. “What we found was that it wasn’t particularly comfortable for anyone relying on legacy methods,” says Simon. “One of the biggest drivers of terpene preservation was the stability of water activity. When water activity drops below 0.55 aW, the stomata begin to collapse, then shrink, then break. At that point, the mono-terpenes escape.”
These mono-terpenes are responsible for most of the aromas associated with quality cannabis. “They are also volatile in nature. Once they’re gone, they’re gone,” highlighted Simon.
© Calyx Vessels
Basic methods and alternatives
Traditional healing methods are based on burping. Opening containers, exchanging air, manually regulating humidity. “This methodology works, but it also introduces oxygen. In addition, the plant material is also subject to mechanical stress. Both oxygen and mechanical stress accelerate degradation, thus hampering quality.”
Calyx Cure was designed as an alternative to that ritual. “Instead of active intervention, Calyx Cure uses a passive atmospheric film with selective permeation properties. The layers are designed to allow specific gases to move through the material while others are restricted. Biological curing processes continue, but without opening the container, without introducing excess oxygen and without handling the flower.”
In controlled studies, Calyx saw a 33% improvement in monoterpene profile preservation compared to traditional approaches such as turkey pouches. “Practically speaking, that first hit of aroma you get when you open a jar, driven largely by monoterpenes, is intact.”
Complicating the picture is that curing is not reversible. There is a persistent belief that if cannabis dries out too much, there are no moisture packs or other interventions that can bring it back. “Excessive drying slows down the enzymatic reactions, alters the aging process and permanently changes the composition of the terpenes. Once the quality is lost at that stage, the bottle cannot revive it,” he said.
© Calyx Vessels
Curing and speed to market
Therefore, post-harvest processes cannot be the last element of cannabis facility design. “Sometimes speed or short-term cost savings drive the decision. Cure less, move product faster and assume the container will handle the rest.” Market dynamics don’t help either. When a new market opens and the shelves are empty, speed is rewarded and cutting corners can be the difference between hitting dispensaries later.
Calyx approaches it as a manufacturing and engineering problem rather than a branding exercise. Unlike much of the packaging industry, which operates largely as a middleman, Calyx operates its own factory in Utah. “That vertical integration allows us to iterate quickly. New designs can be prototyped in 1 or 2 weeks.”
This can be a huge plus, as quality control is a hot topic in the wider world of agriculture, not just cannabis. The industry often talks about wanting nutraceutical or food standards. These industries have already solved the complexity of the supply chain. They know how to produce in one region and deliver consistently to another. Cannabis, especially if it wants to move globally, will need similar discipline.”
And as with food packaging, sustainability is part of that equation in cannabis. Calyx has extensively studied compostable and hemp-based structures. “Compostable materials struggle with terpene conservation and water activity control. If the package breathes too much, the plant pays the price.”
Instead, Calyx’s approach to sustainability is based on reducing the use of materials at the manufacturing level. “The cover molded joint is a good example,” explains Simon. “Traditional seals require cutting circular inserts from large sheets, creating huge waste. We’ve designed molds where a small amount of polymer forms the cover and joint in one plane, creating almost zero waste and a fully recyclable component.”
Healing, it seems, is not passive waiting. “It’s an active and fragile process,” says Simon. “And like most fragile things in cannabis, it benefits from being engineered rather than inherited.”
For more information:
Calyx vessels
1991 W Parkway Blvd. West Valley City, UT, 84119-2026
724-303-7481
(email protected)
calyxcontainers.com
Cannabis News
Michigan Lawmakers Weigh Bill To Create Statewide Cannabis Reference Lab To Standardize Testing
Cannabis News
Vivent Biosignals & Green Laniel join forces to bring plant-driven agriculture to the US
Vivent Biosignals and Green Laniel Consulting have announced a partnership to accelerate plant-driven irrigation and irrigation in key U.S. agricultural markets. Green Laniel Consulting is a US-focused provider of agronomic solutions led by Mauricio Manotas.
By combining Vivent’s ability to decode plant biosignals in real-time using plant biosensors, machine learning and AI with Green Laniel’s deep experience in agronomy, grower operations and US market access, the partnership allows growers to make decisions based on what really matters: how the plant itself is responding.
© Vivent Biosignals
The partnership will cover a variety of crops and production systems, initially plant-driven irrigation and greenhouses for perennial crops, including potatoes, directly guided by plant feedback.
“By combining Vivint’s plant-level intelligence with Green Laniel’s strong presence and agronomic leadership in the US, we are enabling a new generation of plant-driven farming systems. This partnership helps growers improve yields and quality while significantly increasing resource efficiency and sustainability.” says Mauricio Manotas, Green Laniel Consulting.
For more information:
Vivent Biosignals
Tel.: +41 79 5114627
Email: (email protected)
https://vivent-biosignals.com/
Vancouver Lift Expo 2023 Walk Around
Re-release of full CC2C News show from Monday the 10th.Full time coded content below in description
🌱Welcome To The Strain Show!
FAT NUGS CANNABIS Mag | DUSTIN HOXWORTH
Technical advances in cannabis curing focus on water activity and terpene stability
Michigan Lawmakers Weigh Bill To Create Statewide Cannabis Reference Lab To Standardize Testing
Mint Slushy Marijuana Monday
Big Week for POTUS Trump. US Teacher Detained in Russia Freed! Prohibitionist named to DEA Chief.
🤮Denver Cookies Has A Mold Problem
FIGHTING FOR CANNABIS REFORM | ATHAR HASEEBULLAH (cannabis Law)
“Our system can manage equipment across 10,000+ m² using just a few wires”
Florida Workshop to Discuss What Constitutes a ‘Cartoon’ in Hemp Packaging
German Retail Acquisition Pending for High Tide – New Cannabis Ventures
Re-release of the full show of Cannabis Coast to Coast news. Republican Texas DA Fires Up vs. laws;
Your Cannabis Business: Consistent Filings Are Critical
From Finance to Wellness: Brad Zerman’s Impactful Pivot
Texas DA Partakes on Tik Tok to prove a point; Boston Sheriff arrested for Extortion of $ w/ Ascend
Curaleaf Q2 Revenue Falls 8% – New Cannabis Ventures
DEA’s Cole Reverses His “priorities” ; Prohibitionists Dig In; Dead & Co Celebrates 60 years in SF
Cannabis Investors Should Consider REITs – New Cannabis Ventures
-
Cannabis News5 months ago“Our system can manage equipment across 10,000+ m² using just a few wires”
-
Florida5 months agoFlorida Workshop to Discuss What Constitutes a ‘Cartoon’ in Hemp Packaging
-
Canadian Cannabis News5 months agoGerman Retail Acquisition Pending for High Tide – New Cannabis Ventures
-
Video5 months agoRe-release of the full show of Cannabis Coast to Coast news. Republican Texas DA Fires Up vs. laws;
-
Best Practices5 months agoYour Cannabis Business: Consistent Filings Are Critical
-
Video5 months agoFrom Finance to Wellness: Brad Zerman’s Impactful Pivot
-
Video5 months agoTexas DA Partakes on Tik Tok to prove a point; Boston Sheriff arrested for Extortion of $ w/ Ascend
-
Video5 months agoDEA’s Cole Reverses His “priorities” ; Prohibitionists Dig In; Dead & Co Celebrates 60 years in SF